A/N: I'm so glad you guys don't mind that this story has been soooooooo long. I've got a little question to ask you all at the end of my story. It contains a slight spoiler for the next chapters (and possibly the rest of the story), but I would really appreciate some direction. Thanks!
So far: A man from Wolfram & Hart was murdered last chapter. Past!Angel, Past!Cordelia, Gunn and Fred are about to find out what the scummy lawyers from Wolfram and Hart are up to. Present!Cordy and Present!Angel go to Giles' apartment to look for the spell book. By the way, I'm taking great liberties with the Buffy 3rd season time-line (i.e. not synchronizing with air dates) from here on in.
*Chapter 11: Thick As Thieves*
(c) May 17, 2002
~~ Outside Wolfram & Hart, January 23, 2002 ~~
Gunn's truck pulled up a block away from the Wolfram and Hart building. Angel sprang from the back of the truck as the other three stepped out from the front. Rounding the corner facing the law firm, the four surveyed the scene before them.
"How do we get in?" Cordelia asked.
'Figures she'd be the first person to say something.' Gunn thought, grinning to himself.
"I'll get us in." Angel said in a low voice. "Meet me on the east side." Before any of the others could react, he had disappeared around the back.
Gunn shook his head, 'Damn! Can't keep up with that bro.' He started walking to the east side of the building.
"Okay, so we're supposed to wait until the big guns come calling?" Cordelia pouted.
"Our vamp's gonna get us in." Gunn replied, pulling the others to the side of the building. He stared at the only closed door on that side. 'No doubt about it.'
Cordelia continued to complain. "And how's he's going to do that? Say open sesame?" she demanded. As she said that, the door swung open.
'Not a moment too soon.' Gunn thought with relief.
Angel poked his head out, "What are you waiting for?" Gunn and Fred followed him silently.
Cordelia wasn't as silent. "Okay, how did you do that without all the alarms going?"
Fred answered for Angel, "He went through the sewers to the security room, took out the guards, and then shut off the cameras." Turning to Angel, she noticed that he was still unresponsive. "Willow found the blueprints of the building." As Cordelia's mouth opened, Fred responded, "They came from the city archives."
'Thatta girl.' Gunn smirked in pride as Cordelia closed her mouth for the moment.
Angel turned a corner ahead of them, "Server's room is up ahead."
Cordelia was a little peeved. "Was everyone in on the plan except me?"
"We don't have time for this," Angel muttered.
Gunn turned around, not wanting to regret bringing Cordelia along. "Okay, okay," he said reassuringly, "We're all in this now." At the stubborn look on the short-haired brunette's face, he put his hands up, "You'll be able to contribute plenty later."
Getting to the closed server room, Angel hurled himself at the door. It instantly flew open. Immediately, Fred sat at one of the consoles. A few screens popped up as she gained access to the server.
Gunn whistled with admiration as he called up the Hyperion. "Yo, English, our girl's in." he said when Wesley answered the phone. Handing the cell phone to Fred, he said, "Willow's on for you."
Fred's fingers flew on the keyboard, "Uh huh. Okay, uh huh. Okay, rerouting to a pass-through network."
Angel and Gunn exchanged a glance.
"I don't know what they're doing." Gunn admitted behind the seated willowy girl.
Angel shrugged, unperturbed. Cordelia watched the screen and Fred's fingers carefully.
"And you've got access to the administrator id now." Fred finished. She paused, then frowned slightly. "Where?" Clicking a few buttons, an email folder popped up on-screen.
Gunn leaned over Fred's shoulder to read out loud, "Have advised Lilah of her cousin's involvement and untimely demise. Current status: Lilah reviewing Project T implications."
Fred gave him a puzzled look, "Wow... What's Project T? Oh, hang on." She turned around to tell the tall man still leaning over her, "Wesley says to go to Lilah's office and look for the files. Willow doesn't see them on file anywhere."
"Where is it?" Gunn asked her, "Angel's the only one who knows where her office is." Glancing at Angel, he amended, "I mean the other one." When the vampire turned from him, Gunn grimaced, "Oops."
Fred pointed to the screen, "It's the top floor."
"I'll go." Angel offered.
Gunn tipped a phone towards the vampire before he could depart, "Speed dial 1 gets us. 2 gets the Hyperion."
Cordelia perked noticeably, "I'm coming too."
"It'll be faster alone." Angel said to her in his low voice.
"You want to help. I want to help. Besides, what's the point of me standing around here?" Cordelia reasoned.
Gunn fought down a sigh that had been building up from the moment they stepped into the building. "I wouldn't argue with her," he said to Angel, "If you know what's good for you."
Angel turned to Cordelia harshly, "Fine. Keep up."
Gunn watched briefly as the warrior and his future Seer disappeared from his sight. To Fred, he said to her, "Okay, we should close down here and clear out. We'll wait for them outside."
~~ Giles' apartment, November 19, 1998 ~~
The lights were off throughout a quiet apartment. Suddenly, a light filtered in as the door opened.
"See?" Angel smirked, "Told you nobody's home."
"Yeah, well, I can't believe that anyone would be able to hear a heartbeat through that door." Cordy grumbled as they entered the empty home.
Angel grinned, "Oh ye of little faith. That and a few other hidden talents came in handy when I was still hunting for prey. You have yet to discover them." He shot a mischieviously boyish glance at her as they started scanning the Watcher's multiple bookshelves.
Cordy rolled her eyes, "Like hypnotizing a few damsels in distress? Bet that would make you a real Dracula."
"Don't knock it till you've seen me in action." Angel sniffed. "I was a charmer in my day."
"Right and you've mellowed out in your golden years." Cordelia shot back. "Speaking of which... where's Giles?"
"Does it matter?"
"Ha! Probably has his nose stuck in a book in the library still." Cordy picked up the book lying on the coffee table, "Or maybe Giles has a date!"
Shooting her an exasperated look, Angel said to her, "I'm sure Giles has a social life outside of being a Watcher."
Opening the book in her hands, Cordy commented, "Hmmm... Dating for Dummies... wonder how he would be at giving out dating advice."
"Let's just find the book." Angel said as he disappeared into the bedroom.
"A little light reading, huh?" Cordy asked when she saw him reappear two seconds later, the thick volume in his hand.
"To each his own hobbies." Angel shrugged. Suddenly, he froze, hearing soft footfalls outside the front door. "He's back."
"What do we do?" Cordy hissed, as a key was inserted into the lock.
"Quick. Back in the bedroom." Angel said, waving the brunette to follow him.
"And do what?" Without thinking, she pushed him back into the room and turned around to stand in the living room. "Maybe I can distract him."
"Cordy..." She shushed him and then rotated on her heels when she heard the door open.
Giles stared at the tall brunette standing in the middle of his living room. "Cor-Cordelia? What are you doing here?"
Cordelia couldn't think of a thing to say, "Uhm..."
~~ Inside Wolfram & Hart, January 23, 2002 ~~
Cordelia ran to catch up with Angel's long strides, panting deep breaths. She had been doing that for the last eight minutes as they ran up the stairwell and through long dark hallways looking for Lilah Morgan's office. While in high school, she kept in good shape following the strict cheerleading diet and regimen. However, it was obvious to herself that since she'd left high school, she had not been sticking to it. She halted and leaned her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Glaring at the dark back that was rapidly getting further away again, she secretly hoped that they would find the office soon.
At that moment, the tall figure in front of her paused and with a swift push, broke into a locked office. Cordelia stood up straight again and headed towards the only open office. The door that was now swung open had the name 'Lilah Morgan' printed on the gold plate. Peering in, she saw a silent Angel rifling through the papers on the desk. Cordelia came in and started scanning the bookshelves behind the desk.
"You know, you could be a little more grateful," she said witheringly.
"For what?" Angel asked gruffly.
"For keeping you company." Cordelia answered matter-of-factly.
"I didn't ask for it. I don't need it."
"Well, you will." Cordelia replied loftily.
"I doubt it." he replied.
Cordelia bit her tongue, a hot retort on the tip of it. 'This won't help him see how useful I am!' she thought. Looking at the files that Angel had just gone through on the desk, she had an idea. Leaning over the chair, she turned on the computer.
"Willow checked that already." Angel told her.
"Maybe she didn't." she replied.
"She told that girl, Fred, that she had."
"No, she told Fred that there's nothing else on the network. She didn't check Lilah's personal computer files."
Angel didn't answer for a minute, "How do you know this?"
"Doesn't everybody?" At the growl that Angel gave, she explained to him, "I took computer classes last semester. Now, what was that id again? Right, administrator." Typing in the administrator's password, she murmurred, "Hopefully, she didn't encrypt all her personal files."
After a minute, the vampire impatiently asked, "Well?"
"Project T? That was the name of it?"
"Yeah." Angel shook his head in amazement, "You found it."
"There's quite a bit on the guy who got murdered and whatever this project is." Cordelia said, reading the file names. "There's also mention of some stone... Stones of Egrassa?"
"We can go over this later." Angel decided. "How do we take this with us?"
Cordelia pondered his question. "I need to save this or... send it or something. We need to dial Willow."
The vampire stared at the phone for a minute. Seeing his uncertainty, Cordelia took the phone out of his hand and flipped it open. "Just press 2 and then the talk sign." He silently observed as she dialed. "Wesley. We need Willow for a sec." After a moment, she spoke again, "Willow, you need to copy some files. Can you get to the z:\ directory on the Corporate network? Okay, copying... it's there."
Angel watched her, an unreadable look on his face. Nervously, Cordelia focused on the witch's voice, "Got it? Great."
"So, what do we do now?" His tone was soft and much gentler than earlier in the evening.
Cordelia gave him a half-smile, "We leave."
As they turned to go, they stopped short at the sight of a blond man at the door. "I don't think so," he said.
~~ Giles' apartment, November 19, 1998 ~~
Giles stared expectantly at the pretty girl before him. "How did you get in?"
Innocently looking at him, Cordy lied, "Your door was open."
"But I just unlocked the..."
"You didn't expect me to sit all alone in your apartment with the door wide open, did you? This is the Hellmouth." she cut him off.
"Yes, quite right. I just wasn't expecting you, that's all. So... what exactly are you doing here?" Giles asked curiously.
A little too brightly, Cordy chirped, "Waiting for you." Seeing the expression on Giles face, she hastily added, "To get advice from you."
"Oh." Giles responded a little apprehensively. Cordelia waited for him to say something else, nervously thinking up what she needed advice for. "What about?"
Cordy blinked, "Ummm... this is a little embarrassing." 'Think!' she berated herself. "It's about...ummm..."
"Yes?"
"Dating." As soon as that one word flew out of her mouth, she felt like stuffing it back in.
"Excuse me? D-did I hear you correctly?" Giles stuttered.
'No, you didn't,' she thought. Then, she reconsidered and mentally patted herself on the back, 'This could be fun!' She opened her mouth, "That's right. I need dating advice from you."
"Oh, well, wouldn't your mother, or friends..."
'Trying to get out of it? Bet the B-one didn't ask about this.' Cordy smirked. "Please. My mother wouldn't be able to advise a fly. And my friends? Blabbers or it concerns them. Nope. You're the expert I seek. Besides, you read about practically everything, right? You must be this wealth of knowledge. Theoretical, at least." Cordy held her breath, 'Just eat it up.'
"You might be right there." Giles said thoughtfully.
"Great," Cordy enthused. "See, there's this guy I like, who I'm not going to name. But I think he's in love with someone else." She paused as Giles coughed politely. "In fact, he's been in love with her from practically day one since they're, like, all fated to be together. If this was a fictional story, fans would be rooting for them together. They'd be legendary... star-crossed lovers practically. Like Romeo and Juliet."
"Yes, I think I get the point." Giles nodded.
"Right. So, like I said. I like him, but he likes her. What should I do?" Cordy batted her eyelashes at him, trying to generate some tears. 'Might as well make this an Oscar performance,' she laughed to herself.
Giles sat down on his couch, "Perhaps you should talk to him. Tell him how you really feel."
"Are you completely forgetting high school social stigma?" Cordy exclaimed. "If anyone else found out, I'd be a total outcast."
"Well, Cordelia, it's no secret that you're dating ..."
"No names!" she screeched furiously. As Giles shrank before her eyes, she fought a giggle. 'Golden globe academy... eat your heart out at what you missed!' Remembering the vampire in the next room, she desperately wanted to see his reaction. 'On second thought, he might take it to his head and think that I'm talking about him. Maybe I went overboard with the whole tragic sappy stuff.'
Giles' next comment brought her back to reality, "Are you sure he's in love with this other girl?"
Cordy whirled around, not knowing how to react. 'What's with me?' she thought. Turning back around, she said to the librarian sorrowfully, "They have this undeniable electric thing going between them. And, he's all touchy-feely and broody and hormonal around her."
Giles started at the word 'hormonal'. "Cordelia," he said hesitantly, "perhaps you'd like to have this conversation with someone else."
Opening her mouth to protest, she suddenly felt a breeze coming from within the bedroom. "Well, perhaps you're right," she concurred. She brazenly smiled at his befuddled expression, "Giles, you're so smart."
Glancing over her shoulder as she made a quick exit, she saw Giles staring after her, his face a look of utter confusion.
~~ Inside Wolfram & Hart, January 23, 2002 ~~
Before she could register what happened, Angel swiftly grabbed the mystery man by the throat and lifted him to the wall. "What are you going to do to stop us?" he growled, changing to his game face.
The blond man lifted his hands up in resignation, "I'm not here to bust you." Angel only tightened his grip. Cordelia watched as the man pinned against the wall gasped in pain.
"Angel!" Cordelia exclaimed. "You're hurting him!"
"That's the plan." Angel replied, licking his lips.
"Stop it! We haven't even heard him out." Cordelia said, whacking the vampire's arm. Despite the pain, the stranger gave a short laugh at the sight of the woman hitting the fierce vampire.
Angel growled again but lowered the man to the ground. Letting him go reluctantly, he reverted back to his human face and kept a careful eye on the man.
Cordelia swept her eyes over the new man. He wasn't as tall as the vampire, but he was definitely what she would call a 'hottie.' Plus, from his demeanor and outfit, she had a feeling that he was a man to be reckoned with. And did she ever want to be the one reckoning with him. Seeing the dark roots just peeking out underneath his blond hair, she realized that he had naturally dark hair. 'Well, well, well, I always had a thing for dark-haired bad boys...'
"Last time we met, we weren't exactly friends, but..." the man paused and flexed his shoulder back, as if to relieve some lingering pain.
"Oh I'm sure we were." Cordelia murmurred, flashing an appreciative grin at him and inching closer. Angel squinted his eyes with distrust.
The man shot them an amused look, "Actually, I might have tried to kill you... or at least worked for the people who attempted that." He grinned, as Angel growled again.
"Oh, I'm sure that's bygones now..." Cordelia waved.
The vampire grabbed him again, "Tell me why I shouldn't rip you apart right now."
"Hey I'm on your side, remember?" the man protested. Then, staring at his face, he said, puzzled, "You don't remember. You guys okay?" He looked at Cordelia's beaming smile and Angel's suspicious stare, "You seem the same as usual... all anxious about your Seer."
"Who?" Cordelia asked.
The man shook his head, "Please say you guys aren't from another year. Please say you didn't switch."
"Uh huh." Cordelia nodded, smiling widely. "For the better."
At that moment, the phone started vibrating in Angel's hand. Flipping it open as he had seen Cordelia do earlier, the vampire barked, "Yeah?" Suddenly he grabbed Cordelia's arm, "We've got to go. Gunn says that the place is surrounded from the outside."
Cordelia was amazed, "What? How?"
The man stared at the computer screen that was still on. "You accessed Lilah's files."
Cordelia beamed proudly, "That was me."
"Each time private files are accessed, a log is kept." the man told her gently.
"Oh." Cordelia said, crest-fallen. "How do we get out?"
The man gave her a lopsided smile and winked, "This building practically used to be home to me. I know how to get out without the storm troopers knowing." Turning to Angel, he smirked, "It'll be right up your alley."
~~ Outside Giles' apartment, November 20, 1998 ~~
The evening air was cool but pleasant. No one was on the streets or the sidewalks except the Sunnydale cheerleader.
Cordy walked slowly, listening to the sounds of her shoes. Suddenly, she paused and smiled without turning around. "I can hear you breathing behind me."
Immediately appearing behind her, Angel breathed into her ear, "Liar. What took you so long?" He whirled her around. His face was darkened but gentle as his eyes rested on hers.
She swallowed hard. "Had to get some help from Mr. Lovelorn." Something in his voice made her wonder exactly what he had gotten from her conversation with Giles. She made a shaky joke, "I think Giles is going to give Lorne a run for his money."
Circling her like prey, Angel shot her a smile that she could only describe as dangerous. "That's not a pretty picture."
Cordy whacked him on the arm, trying to ignore the goosebumps raised on her arms. "Not literally!" Pointing at the book, she bubbled, "So, we got the book! Home, here we come!"
"Almost." Angel said as he caught her hand. "We need to do something first."
Cordy was very aware of the strong hand that held hers. "You mean, find Kate," she guessed as she wrested her hand away and kept her heart beating at a normal rate. 'Why was she suddenly finding it hard to breathe normally?' She peeked at him under her eyelashes.
"Right," Angel said, not showing any of his emotions.
"She said she was in Vegas, right? Maybe we should call her precinct." Cordy suggested, relieved that they were relating normally again.
"Good thinking." Angel nodded as he headed to the telephone booth at the corner. "Do you have coins?"
She rolled her eyes, "What, no credit cards?"
Angel smiled in amusement. "Haven't I loaned you enough money in the past? I seem to recall a pair of red strappy shoes..."
Cordy pouted. "And here I thought vampires have no sense of fashion. Okay, okay."
"Thanks..." He dialed the operator to get the Los Angeles police department and then the precinct they were looking for. "Hello, could I speak to Detective Kate Lockley? Oh? For how long? Okay. Thanks."
"Well?" Cordy asked expectantly.
"She's still on case in Vegas." Angel replied. "Apparently, for the next week."
"So when do we leave?" Cordy asked.
Angel let out a half-sigh. "Cordy, I let you come with me tonight. But going to Vegas?"
"Hey, I could use a road trip." Cordy shone her winning smile.
"Not unless you went on one in November 1998." Angel said sternly, but he was smiling.
She knew she was winning the argument. "Angel... please?"
He shook his head, "Cordy, I know you're bored, but..."
"What about when you find Kate? Shouldn't we just say the spell right away so we can get back to normal?" Cordy reasoned.
He considered it for a minute. "Nice try. We should be in Sunnydale when we say the spell. Otherwise, we'd be in danger of messing up the future for our former selves."
Cordy got excited suddenly. "But I've got the perfect excuse to explain why I would be away. Harmony's cousin invited us to San Francisco over the weekend but Harmony never showed up. When I went, I didn't see her cousin all weekend."
"Cordelia, I can't believe you sometimes," he shook his head.
She was quiet for a minute. "I'm not making it up. I--I just never told anyone before. It wasn't exactly the best time of my life. I stayed in a hotel by myself and pretended to have had the time of my life when I came back. I realized that day that I didn't really have any friends to count on and be with."
"I'm sorry." Angel said to her quietly. He reached for her hand again. It was a minute of uncertainty and temptation as she watched his fingers caress her wrist.
In the last minute, she snatched her hand away from his grasp. This time, she didn't look to see if he reacted.
"It's not like anyone important saw me that weekend. How's that for convenience?" she asked, staring at the ground.
For a long moment he didn't say anything. "It does give you an excuse." he replied softly.
"So that's a yes?" she asked carefully.
He froze at that moment. "Shh..." Clamping his hand over her mouth, he pulled her behind a bush. As she wondered what was going on, he whispered, "I heard something."
It was another, more terrible moment of waiting. For those overdrawn seconds, all she could feel was the strong arm holding her to the hard body behind her. All she could hear was her ragged breathing and heart pounding. Closing her eyes to calm herself, she briefly thought how well they fit together. 'No... Don't think it. This is Angel!'
A leaf rustled and they froze as one as they watched a man in jogging clothes waltz by.
"Okay, you can take your hand away." Cordy mumbled.
Still tense, Angel took the hand covering her mouth away, but kept the one around her stomach that was holding her to him. "I thought..."
A little more curt than she intended, she pulled away. "She's gone. We're in the clear now."
He relaxed a bit. "You're probably right."
Trying to calm herself, she laughed in mock shock, "Did you just say I was right? Call the presses!"
Angel looked around furtively. "Okay, not so loud."
She stopped giggling. "So, we hit the road as soon as the sun sets tomorrow...or should I say tonight?"
"You've got it all figured out, don't you?" Angel said good-naturedly. "It's a plan. Let's get you home."
Behind the bushes, fifteen feet away, a shadow had seen and heard that entire exchange. It grew taller as a dark haired vampire slayer emerged, making plans of her own.
Question: (Contains a slight spoiler for this story) Help me please! There could be a 'treasure hunt' of sorts in the present, so I want to know if you want to keep the rest of the story in L.A. or if you want it world-wide. Personally I want to go international but it could get convoluted to read, complicated to write, make the story much much longer, and well, it could be fun right? You just have to suspend your disbelief (like you haven't already...). So, let me know! :) Oh yah, and feedback would be gold. Thanks!
So far: A man from Wolfram & Hart was murdered last chapter. Past!Angel, Past!Cordelia, Gunn and Fred are about to find out what the scummy lawyers from Wolfram and Hart are up to. Present!Cordy and Present!Angel go to Giles' apartment to look for the spell book. By the way, I'm taking great liberties with the Buffy 3rd season time-line (i.e. not synchronizing with air dates) from here on in.
*Chapter 11: Thick As Thieves*
(c) May 17, 2002
~~ Outside Wolfram & Hart, January 23, 2002 ~~
Gunn's truck pulled up a block away from the Wolfram and Hart building. Angel sprang from the back of the truck as the other three stepped out from the front. Rounding the corner facing the law firm, the four surveyed the scene before them.
"How do we get in?" Cordelia asked.
'Figures she'd be the first person to say something.' Gunn thought, grinning to himself.
"I'll get us in." Angel said in a low voice. "Meet me on the east side." Before any of the others could react, he had disappeared around the back.
Gunn shook his head, 'Damn! Can't keep up with that bro.' He started walking to the east side of the building.
"Okay, so we're supposed to wait until the big guns come calling?" Cordelia pouted.
"Our vamp's gonna get us in." Gunn replied, pulling the others to the side of the building. He stared at the only closed door on that side. 'No doubt about it.'
Cordelia continued to complain. "And how's he's going to do that? Say open sesame?" she demanded. As she said that, the door swung open.
'Not a moment too soon.' Gunn thought with relief.
Angel poked his head out, "What are you waiting for?" Gunn and Fred followed him silently.
Cordelia wasn't as silent. "Okay, how did you do that without all the alarms going?"
Fred answered for Angel, "He went through the sewers to the security room, took out the guards, and then shut off the cameras." Turning to Angel, she noticed that he was still unresponsive. "Willow found the blueprints of the building." As Cordelia's mouth opened, Fred responded, "They came from the city archives."
'Thatta girl.' Gunn smirked in pride as Cordelia closed her mouth for the moment.
Angel turned a corner ahead of them, "Server's room is up ahead."
Cordelia was a little peeved. "Was everyone in on the plan except me?"
"We don't have time for this," Angel muttered.
Gunn turned around, not wanting to regret bringing Cordelia along. "Okay, okay," he said reassuringly, "We're all in this now." At the stubborn look on the short-haired brunette's face, he put his hands up, "You'll be able to contribute plenty later."
Getting to the closed server room, Angel hurled himself at the door. It instantly flew open. Immediately, Fred sat at one of the consoles. A few screens popped up as she gained access to the server.
Gunn whistled with admiration as he called up the Hyperion. "Yo, English, our girl's in." he said when Wesley answered the phone. Handing the cell phone to Fred, he said, "Willow's on for you."
Fred's fingers flew on the keyboard, "Uh huh. Okay, uh huh. Okay, rerouting to a pass-through network."
Angel and Gunn exchanged a glance.
"I don't know what they're doing." Gunn admitted behind the seated willowy girl.
Angel shrugged, unperturbed. Cordelia watched the screen and Fred's fingers carefully.
"And you've got access to the administrator id now." Fred finished. She paused, then frowned slightly. "Where?" Clicking a few buttons, an email folder popped up on-screen.
Gunn leaned over Fred's shoulder to read out loud, "Have advised Lilah of her cousin's involvement and untimely demise. Current status: Lilah reviewing Project T implications."
Fred gave him a puzzled look, "Wow... What's Project T? Oh, hang on." She turned around to tell the tall man still leaning over her, "Wesley says to go to Lilah's office and look for the files. Willow doesn't see them on file anywhere."
"Where is it?" Gunn asked her, "Angel's the only one who knows where her office is." Glancing at Angel, he amended, "I mean the other one." When the vampire turned from him, Gunn grimaced, "Oops."
Fred pointed to the screen, "It's the top floor."
"I'll go." Angel offered.
Gunn tipped a phone towards the vampire before he could depart, "Speed dial 1 gets us. 2 gets the Hyperion."
Cordelia perked noticeably, "I'm coming too."
"It'll be faster alone." Angel said to her in his low voice.
"You want to help. I want to help. Besides, what's the point of me standing around here?" Cordelia reasoned.
Gunn fought down a sigh that had been building up from the moment they stepped into the building. "I wouldn't argue with her," he said to Angel, "If you know what's good for you."
Angel turned to Cordelia harshly, "Fine. Keep up."
Gunn watched briefly as the warrior and his future Seer disappeared from his sight. To Fred, he said to her, "Okay, we should close down here and clear out. We'll wait for them outside."
~~ Giles' apartment, November 19, 1998 ~~
The lights were off throughout a quiet apartment. Suddenly, a light filtered in as the door opened.
"See?" Angel smirked, "Told you nobody's home."
"Yeah, well, I can't believe that anyone would be able to hear a heartbeat through that door." Cordy grumbled as they entered the empty home.
Angel grinned, "Oh ye of little faith. That and a few other hidden talents came in handy when I was still hunting for prey. You have yet to discover them." He shot a mischieviously boyish glance at her as they started scanning the Watcher's multiple bookshelves.
Cordy rolled her eyes, "Like hypnotizing a few damsels in distress? Bet that would make you a real Dracula."
"Don't knock it till you've seen me in action." Angel sniffed. "I was a charmer in my day."
"Right and you've mellowed out in your golden years." Cordelia shot back. "Speaking of which... where's Giles?"
"Does it matter?"
"Ha! Probably has his nose stuck in a book in the library still." Cordy picked up the book lying on the coffee table, "Or maybe Giles has a date!"
Shooting her an exasperated look, Angel said to her, "I'm sure Giles has a social life outside of being a Watcher."
Opening the book in her hands, Cordy commented, "Hmmm... Dating for Dummies... wonder how he would be at giving out dating advice."
"Let's just find the book." Angel said as he disappeared into the bedroom.
"A little light reading, huh?" Cordy asked when she saw him reappear two seconds later, the thick volume in his hand.
"To each his own hobbies." Angel shrugged. Suddenly, he froze, hearing soft footfalls outside the front door. "He's back."
"What do we do?" Cordy hissed, as a key was inserted into the lock.
"Quick. Back in the bedroom." Angel said, waving the brunette to follow him.
"And do what?" Without thinking, she pushed him back into the room and turned around to stand in the living room. "Maybe I can distract him."
"Cordy..." She shushed him and then rotated on her heels when she heard the door open.
Giles stared at the tall brunette standing in the middle of his living room. "Cor-Cordelia? What are you doing here?"
Cordelia couldn't think of a thing to say, "Uhm..."
~~ Inside Wolfram & Hart, January 23, 2002 ~~
Cordelia ran to catch up with Angel's long strides, panting deep breaths. She had been doing that for the last eight minutes as they ran up the stairwell and through long dark hallways looking for Lilah Morgan's office. While in high school, she kept in good shape following the strict cheerleading diet and regimen. However, it was obvious to herself that since she'd left high school, she had not been sticking to it. She halted and leaned her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Glaring at the dark back that was rapidly getting further away again, she secretly hoped that they would find the office soon.
At that moment, the tall figure in front of her paused and with a swift push, broke into a locked office. Cordelia stood up straight again and headed towards the only open office. The door that was now swung open had the name 'Lilah Morgan' printed on the gold plate. Peering in, she saw a silent Angel rifling through the papers on the desk. Cordelia came in and started scanning the bookshelves behind the desk.
"You know, you could be a little more grateful," she said witheringly.
"For what?" Angel asked gruffly.
"For keeping you company." Cordelia answered matter-of-factly.
"I didn't ask for it. I don't need it."
"Well, you will." Cordelia replied loftily.
"I doubt it." he replied.
Cordelia bit her tongue, a hot retort on the tip of it. 'This won't help him see how useful I am!' she thought. Looking at the files that Angel had just gone through on the desk, she had an idea. Leaning over the chair, she turned on the computer.
"Willow checked that already." Angel told her.
"Maybe she didn't." she replied.
"She told that girl, Fred, that she had."
"No, she told Fred that there's nothing else on the network. She didn't check Lilah's personal computer files."
Angel didn't answer for a minute, "How do you know this?"
"Doesn't everybody?" At the growl that Angel gave, she explained to him, "I took computer classes last semester. Now, what was that id again? Right, administrator." Typing in the administrator's password, she murmurred, "Hopefully, she didn't encrypt all her personal files."
After a minute, the vampire impatiently asked, "Well?"
"Project T? That was the name of it?"
"Yeah." Angel shook his head in amazement, "You found it."
"There's quite a bit on the guy who got murdered and whatever this project is." Cordelia said, reading the file names. "There's also mention of some stone... Stones of Egrassa?"
"We can go over this later." Angel decided. "How do we take this with us?"
Cordelia pondered his question. "I need to save this or... send it or something. We need to dial Willow."
The vampire stared at the phone for a minute. Seeing his uncertainty, Cordelia took the phone out of his hand and flipped it open. "Just press 2 and then the talk sign." He silently observed as she dialed. "Wesley. We need Willow for a sec." After a moment, she spoke again, "Willow, you need to copy some files. Can you get to the z:\ directory on the Corporate network? Okay, copying... it's there."
Angel watched her, an unreadable look on his face. Nervously, Cordelia focused on the witch's voice, "Got it? Great."
"So, what do we do now?" His tone was soft and much gentler than earlier in the evening.
Cordelia gave him a half-smile, "We leave."
As they turned to go, they stopped short at the sight of a blond man at the door. "I don't think so," he said.
~~ Giles' apartment, November 19, 1998 ~~
Giles stared expectantly at the pretty girl before him. "How did you get in?"
Innocently looking at him, Cordy lied, "Your door was open."
"But I just unlocked the..."
"You didn't expect me to sit all alone in your apartment with the door wide open, did you? This is the Hellmouth." she cut him off.
"Yes, quite right. I just wasn't expecting you, that's all. So... what exactly are you doing here?" Giles asked curiously.
A little too brightly, Cordy chirped, "Waiting for you." Seeing the expression on Giles face, she hastily added, "To get advice from you."
"Oh." Giles responded a little apprehensively. Cordelia waited for him to say something else, nervously thinking up what she needed advice for. "What about?"
Cordy blinked, "Ummm... this is a little embarrassing." 'Think!' she berated herself. "It's about...ummm..."
"Yes?"
"Dating." As soon as that one word flew out of her mouth, she felt like stuffing it back in.
"Excuse me? D-did I hear you correctly?" Giles stuttered.
'No, you didn't,' she thought. Then, she reconsidered and mentally patted herself on the back, 'This could be fun!' She opened her mouth, "That's right. I need dating advice from you."
"Oh, well, wouldn't your mother, or friends..."
'Trying to get out of it? Bet the B-one didn't ask about this.' Cordy smirked. "Please. My mother wouldn't be able to advise a fly. And my friends? Blabbers or it concerns them. Nope. You're the expert I seek. Besides, you read about practically everything, right? You must be this wealth of knowledge. Theoretical, at least." Cordy held her breath, 'Just eat it up.'
"You might be right there." Giles said thoughtfully.
"Great," Cordy enthused. "See, there's this guy I like, who I'm not going to name. But I think he's in love with someone else." She paused as Giles coughed politely. "In fact, he's been in love with her from practically day one since they're, like, all fated to be together. If this was a fictional story, fans would be rooting for them together. They'd be legendary... star-crossed lovers practically. Like Romeo and Juliet."
"Yes, I think I get the point." Giles nodded.
"Right. So, like I said. I like him, but he likes her. What should I do?" Cordy batted her eyelashes at him, trying to generate some tears. 'Might as well make this an Oscar performance,' she laughed to herself.
Giles sat down on his couch, "Perhaps you should talk to him. Tell him how you really feel."
"Are you completely forgetting high school social stigma?" Cordy exclaimed. "If anyone else found out, I'd be a total outcast."
"Well, Cordelia, it's no secret that you're dating ..."
"No names!" she screeched furiously. As Giles shrank before her eyes, she fought a giggle. 'Golden globe academy... eat your heart out at what you missed!' Remembering the vampire in the next room, she desperately wanted to see his reaction. 'On second thought, he might take it to his head and think that I'm talking about him. Maybe I went overboard with the whole tragic sappy stuff.'
Giles' next comment brought her back to reality, "Are you sure he's in love with this other girl?"
Cordy whirled around, not knowing how to react. 'What's with me?' she thought. Turning back around, she said to the librarian sorrowfully, "They have this undeniable electric thing going between them. And, he's all touchy-feely and broody and hormonal around her."
Giles started at the word 'hormonal'. "Cordelia," he said hesitantly, "perhaps you'd like to have this conversation with someone else."
Opening her mouth to protest, she suddenly felt a breeze coming from within the bedroom. "Well, perhaps you're right," she concurred. She brazenly smiled at his befuddled expression, "Giles, you're so smart."
Glancing over her shoulder as she made a quick exit, she saw Giles staring after her, his face a look of utter confusion.
~~ Inside Wolfram & Hart, January 23, 2002 ~~
Before she could register what happened, Angel swiftly grabbed the mystery man by the throat and lifted him to the wall. "What are you going to do to stop us?" he growled, changing to his game face.
The blond man lifted his hands up in resignation, "I'm not here to bust you." Angel only tightened his grip. Cordelia watched as the man pinned against the wall gasped in pain.
"Angel!" Cordelia exclaimed. "You're hurting him!"
"That's the plan." Angel replied, licking his lips.
"Stop it! We haven't even heard him out." Cordelia said, whacking the vampire's arm. Despite the pain, the stranger gave a short laugh at the sight of the woman hitting the fierce vampire.
Angel growled again but lowered the man to the ground. Letting him go reluctantly, he reverted back to his human face and kept a careful eye on the man.
Cordelia swept her eyes over the new man. He wasn't as tall as the vampire, but he was definitely what she would call a 'hottie.' Plus, from his demeanor and outfit, she had a feeling that he was a man to be reckoned with. And did she ever want to be the one reckoning with him. Seeing the dark roots just peeking out underneath his blond hair, she realized that he had naturally dark hair. 'Well, well, well, I always had a thing for dark-haired bad boys...'
"Last time we met, we weren't exactly friends, but..." the man paused and flexed his shoulder back, as if to relieve some lingering pain.
"Oh I'm sure we were." Cordelia murmurred, flashing an appreciative grin at him and inching closer. Angel squinted his eyes with distrust.
The man shot them an amused look, "Actually, I might have tried to kill you... or at least worked for the people who attempted that." He grinned, as Angel growled again.
"Oh, I'm sure that's bygones now..." Cordelia waved.
The vampire grabbed him again, "Tell me why I shouldn't rip you apart right now."
"Hey I'm on your side, remember?" the man protested. Then, staring at his face, he said, puzzled, "You don't remember. You guys okay?" He looked at Cordelia's beaming smile and Angel's suspicious stare, "You seem the same as usual... all anxious about your Seer."
"Who?" Cordelia asked.
The man shook his head, "Please say you guys aren't from another year. Please say you didn't switch."
"Uh huh." Cordelia nodded, smiling widely. "For the better."
At that moment, the phone started vibrating in Angel's hand. Flipping it open as he had seen Cordelia do earlier, the vampire barked, "Yeah?" Suddenly he grabbed Cordelia's arm, "We've got to go. Gunn says that the place is surrounded from the outside."
Cordelia was amazed, "What? How?"
The man stared at the computer screen that was still on. "You accessed Lilah's files."
Cordelia beamed proudly, "That was me."
"Each time private files are accessed, a log is kept." the man told her gently.
"Oh." Cordelia said, crest-fallen. "How do we get out?"
The man gave her a lopsided smile and winked, "This building practically used to be home to me. I know how to get out without the storm troopers knowing." Turning to Angel, he smirked, "It'll be right up your alley."
~~ Outside Giles' apartment, November 20, 1998 ~~
The evening air was cool but pleasant. No one was on the streets or the sidewalks except the Sunnydale cheerleader.
Cordy walked slowly, listening to the sounds of her shoes. Suddenly, she paused and smiled without turning around. "I can hear you breathing behind me."
Immediately appearing behind her, Angel breathed into her ear, "Liar. What took you so long?" He whirled her around. His face was darkened but gentle as his eyes rested on hers.
She swallowed hard. "Had to get some help from Mr. Lovelorn." Something in his voice made her wonder exactly what he had gotten from her conversation with Giles. She made a shaky joke, "I think Giles is going to give Lorne a run for his money."
Circling her like prey, Angel shot her a smile that she could only describe as dangerous. "That's not a pretty picture."
Cordy whacked him on the arm, trying to ignore the goosebumps raised on her arms. "Not literally!" Pointing at the book, she bubbled, "So, we got the book! Home, here we come!"
"Almost." Angel said as he caught her hand. "We need to do something first."
Cordy was very aware of the strong hand that held hers. "You mean, find Kate," she guessed as she wrested her hand away and kept her heart beating at a normal rate. 'Why was she suddenly finding it hard to breathe normally?' She peeked at him under her eyelashes.
"Right," Angel said, not showing any of his emotions.
"She said she was in Vegas, right? Maybe we should call her precinct." Cordy suggested, relieved that they were relating normally again.
"Good thinking." Angel nodded as he headed to the telephone booth at the corner. "Do you have coins?"
She rolled her eyes, "What, no credit cards?"
Angel smiled in amusement. "Haven't I loaned you enough money in the past? I seem to recall a pair of red strappy shoes..."
Cordy pouted. "And here I thought vampires have no sense of fashion. Okay, okay."
"Thanks..." He dialed the operator to get the Los Angeles police department and then the precinct they were looking for. "Hello, could I speak to Detective Kate Lockley? Oh? For how long? Okay. Thanks."
"Well?" Cordy asked expectantly.
"She's still on case in Vegas." Angel replied. "Apparently, for the next week."
"So when do we leave?" Cordy asked.
Angel let out a half-sigh. "Cordy, I let you come with me tonight. But going to Vegas?"
"Hey, I could use a road trip." Cordy shone her winning smile.
"Not unless you went on one in November 1998." Angel said sternly, but he was smiling.
She knew she was winning the argument. "Angel... please?"
He shook his head, "Cordy, I know you're bored, but..."
"What about when you find Kate? Shouldn't we just say the spell right away so we can get back to normal?" Cordy reasoned.
He considered it for a minute. "Nice try. We should be in Sunnydale when we say the spell. Otherwise, we'd be in danger of messing up the future for our former selves."
Cordy got excited suddenly. "But I've got the perfect excuse to explain why I would be away. Harmony's cousin invited us to San Francisco over the weekend but Harmony never showed up. When I went, I didn't see her cousin all weekend."
"Cordelia, I can't believe you sometimes," he shook his head.
She was quiet for a minute. "I'm not making it up. I--I just never told anyone before. It wasn't exactly the best time of my life. I stayed in a hotel by myself and pretended to have had the time of my life when I came back. I realized that day that I didn't really have any friends to count on and be with."
"I'm sorry." Angel said to her quietly. He reached for her hand again. It was a minute of uncertainty and temptation as she watched his fingers caress her wrist.
In the last minute, she snatched her hand away from his grasp. This time, she didn't look to see if he reacted.
"It's not like anyone important saw me that weekend. How's that for convenience?" she asked, staring at the ground.
For a long moment he didn't say anything. "It does give you an excuse." he replied softly.
"So that's a yes?" she asked carefully.
He froze at that moment. "Shh..." Clamping his hand over her mouth, he pulled her behind a bush. As she wondered what was going on, he whispered, "I heard something."
It was another, more terrible moment of waiting. For those overdrawn seconds, all she could feel was the strong arm holding her to the hard body behind her. All she could hear was her ragged breathing and heart pounding. Closing her eyes to calm herself, she briefly thought how well they fit together. 'No... Don't think it. This is Angel!'
A leaf rustled and they froze as one as they watched a man in jogging clothes waltz by.
"Okay, you can take your hand away." Cordy mumbled.
Still tense, Angel took the hand covering her mouth away, but kept the one around her stomach that was holding her to him. "I thought..."
A little more curt than she intended, she pulled away. "She's gone. We're in the clear now."
He relaxed a bit. "You're probably right."
Trying to calm herself, she laughed in mock shock, "Did you just say I was right? Call the presses!"
Angel looked around furtively. "Okay, not so loud."
She stopped giggling. "So, we hit the road as soon as the sun sets tomorrow...or should I say tonight?"
"You've got it all figured out, don't you?" Angel said good-naturedly. "It's a plan. Let's get you home."
Behind the bushes, fifteen feet away, a shadow had seen and heard that entire exchange. It grew taller as a dark haired vampire slayer emerged, making plans of her own.
Question: (Contains a slight spoiler for this story) Help me please! There could be a 'treasure hunt' of sorts in the present, so I want to know if you want to keep the rest of the story in L.A. or if you want it world-wide. Personally I want to go international but it could get convoluted to read, complicated to write, make the story much much longer, and well, it could be fun right? You just have to suspend your disbelief (like you haven't already...). So, let me know! :) Oh yah, and feedback would be gold. Thanks!